Method for making gauges



NOV. 23, 1937. EYNON 2,099,803

METHOD FOR MAKING GAUGES Filed March 5, 1937 INVENTOR ATTORN EY Patented Nov. 23, 1937 i 2,099,803

UNITED STATES PATENT orrics METHOD FOR MAKING GAUGES Thomas M. Eynon, Philadelphia, Pa. Application March 5, 1937, Serial No. 129,123 2 Claims. (01. 29-1635) My invention relates to a new and useful methprovided with a pair of staggered gauges of the d of making a gauge of the type used in meas type shown in Fig. 3 associated with a calibrated uring the liquid contents of reservoirs by plumbrod. ing or sounding the depth of the liquid in said Fig. 5 represents, on a slightly enlarged scale,

5 tank or reservoir. Devices of this character have a section on line 55 of Fig. i.

generally consisted of a calibrated rod which is Figs. 6 and 7 represent views similar to Fig. 5 inserted into the tank until the lower end thereshowing modified arrangements. of touches bottom, whereupon it is raised and Fig. 8 represents a view in perspective showthe reading is taken according to the height of ng th fi s S p n e making Of a d e the mark left on such rod by the liquid being form of my invention.

measured. Such measuring rods, if made from Fig. 9 represents a view similar to Fig. 3 and 1 impervious material, are difiicult if not imposbeing a vertical section of said modified form. sible to read due to the fact that the liquid, such Fig. 10 ep s a c on on l ne Ifiil! of as water, gasoline, or the like, fails to leave a Fig. 9.

legible mark. If such rods are made of pervi- Referring to the drawing in which like referous material, the reading taken is inaccurate due ence characters represent like parts and more to the running of the liquid being measured particularly to Figs. 1 to 3, it will be seen that on such rod by absorption, adhesion or capillary I begin with a tubular section I of the desired action. In order to overcome this difliculty it length and diameter and which is preferably has heretofore been proposed to attach to a made of a non-corrosive metal. I then mark off measuring rod, having the desired calibrations the tubular section I into predetermined spaces thereon, a series of pockets or cup-shaped elerepresenting scale calibrations or graduations in ments which are filled with the liquid being inches, feet or fractions thereof, or any other measured when the rod is inserted into the liqdesired linear measurement and cut the tubular uid according to the height of said liquid, thus c i n I at e pl s designated, h o t beconstituting proof positive of the exact height of i g abOut Semi-circular as shown at 2, 3, 4, etc. the liquid in a given tank. Such gaugeshave in Fig. 2. This results in the intermediate seminever attained wide commercial, practical or cylindrical a half-detached a ds 5. 5, i, etc.

, successful use due to the relatively large addi- I h p e e bottom end (as Viewed in FigS- tional expense involved in making the pockets 1 to 3) of each ofthe bands 5, 8 and 1 against referred to and attaching them to the rod, parthe rear juxtaposed wall of the tubular section ticularly in view of the necessity of extreme ac- I as best shown at 8 in Fig. 3. This keeps the curacy in the spacing of the pockets on the measupper edge of the bands 5, ii, I, etc. spaced from uring ed, the rear part of the cylindrical wall of the tub- It is therefore the primary object of my ining I and forms a series of pockets 9 which are vention to devise a novel method of producing a adapted to receive and hold liq introduced gauge of this character, that is, one which is r n o- The Operation of flattening the bot provided with pockets for bringing up positive tom ends of the bands 5, 6, 1, etc. results in com proof of the height of the liquid, and in which pletely flattening the tubular section I except 4 the necessary extreme degree of accuracy is atfor the angularly disposed walls of the bands 5, tained, all of this being accomplished at the 6, 1, etc. which constitute the pockets 9. The same or less expense than has heretofore been entire structure, as seen in Fig. and for the possible. purpose of designation, is marked A, is then The exact construction and method of accomsuitably secured by the nail It), or by soldering,

plishing my invention will be more clearly set or otherwise, to the opposite sides of the chanforth in the following specification and the acnel I2 on the face I3 of which are suitable calicompanying drawing in which; brations I4. As will be seen from Fig. 4, the Fig. 1 represents a perspective view of a tubuoppositely disposed pocket members A are mountlar element from which my novel gauge is made. ed on the opposite sides of the channel I2 in Fig. 2 represents the first step in the formastaggered relation so that the top of one pocket tion of my gauge. on the right hand side, as viewed in Fig. 4, will Fig. 3 represents a vertical, sectional view register with one marking or graduation and the showing the second or last step employed in top of the corresponding pocket on the left hand making my novel gauge. side (also as viewed in Fig. 4) will register with Fig. i represents a front elevation of a gauge the next succeeding graduation. To the top of 6 the channel I2 is hinged in foldable manner a suitable handle l which, when the device is not in use, folds fiat against the channel l2. In actual use the operator unfolds the handle Hi to the position shown in Fig. 4 and introduces the gauge seen in Fig. 4 through the opening in the top of the tank into the tank until the lower edge of the gauge hits the bottom of the tank. The gauge is then drawn by up means of the handle I5 and the presence of the liquid in a pocket on the right or on the left hand side of the channel IE will indicate that the height of the liquid in the tank corresponds to or equals the corresponding mark with which the full pocket registers. Thus, assuming the graduation IE to designate ten feet, and assuming the corresponding pocket I1 is full of the liquid, and that the opposite pocket I8 is empty, it will follow that the height of the liquid is ten feet. It is obvious that by making the pockets smaller and of a thin metal it is possible to arrange them evenly or in staggered relation in much closer order thus aiiording accurate reading.

In Fig. 6 I have shown the pocket member A as attached to one side of an L with the markings M on the side 20. In Fig. '7 I have shown two pocket members A attached to the opposite sides of an upright 2|, the graduations for the oppositely placed pocket members A being at the points 22 and 23, respectively.

In Fig. 8 I have shown a modified form'of my invention in which I use a somewhat larger tubular section similar to that shown in Fig. l and which I first flatten along the center as at 24 and provide with suitable graduations 25. I then cut the remaining oppositely disposed tubular members 26 and 21, as shown in Fig. 2, and depress the bottom ends of the bands intervening any two cuts as set forth in connection with Fig. 3 to produce the oppositely disposed pockets 28 and 29 shown in Figs. 9 and 10. By this construction I dispense with the necessity of any extraneous support as the channel, or L, or other support 21, shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7. It is of course understood'that the graduations 25 are impressed on the opposite faces of the flattened portion 24 so that the gauge may be read from either side.

It will thus be seen that by my novel method and construction I am enabled to produce by mass production methods an accurate gauge which embodies the pocket or the bucket principle for holding an amount of liquid accurately determining the level, and one which is not subject to the climbing, or running, or shrinkage of the liquid, or its entire evaporation before a. reading can be had. It will further be seen that the construction is extremely inexpensive particularly when the structures shown in Fig. 3 or in Fig. 9 are utilized independently of any other support either by the attachment thereto of the hinged handle IE, or by making it long enough to reach from the top to the bottom of the tank or reservoir to be measured. A piece of copper tubing long enough for the purpose can be had at very nominal cost and the cutting and bending can be done by very simple and inexpensive operations. The scale markings or graduations can, of course, be impressed or otherwise inscribed on the pocket walls or on the flat surface or any other suitable part where they can be associated with the presence of liquid in the various pockets formed.

With respect to the modified form shown in Fig. 8 I want to point out that it is within the scope of my invention to take the tubular section I shown in Fig. 1 and flatten one longitudinal edge thereof to produce a flattened calibrated portion 24 and then to cut and bend the remainder of the tubular portion to form the pockets, thus utilizing the method employed in the production of the device shown in Fig. 8 for the production of a single instead of a double sided gauge.

I want to point out that my invention is not limited to the specific steps of first marking and then cutting, or first cutting and then bending, since my invention really resides in the making of the pockets as an integral part of the tubing and, if it is found advisable to bend one wall of the tube against the opposite wall at intervals and then cut at intermediate intervals with the markings applied before or after the bending or the cutting, the same can be done without departing from the scope or spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The method of making a gauge which consists in taking a piece of tubing, marking off on said tubing the desired linear calibrations, cutting said tubing along said calibrations to form partly detached bands and bending one edge of each of said bands against the opposite wall of said tubing to form pockets all facing in the same direction adapted to receive and retain the liquid.

2. The method of making a gauge which consists in cutting a piece of tubing at predetermined points to produce partly detached bands of predetermined widths and bending one edge of each of said bands against the opposite wall of said tubing to form pockets all facing in the same direction adapted to receive and retain the liquid.

THOMAS M. EYNON. 

